A scalpel shield system for a scalpel that has a handle and a blade with a sharp cutting edge. The system is mountable on the scalpel and provided with a blade guard member having a pivot component engagable with a pivot component on the blade or the handle. The blade guard member is manually pivotable relative to the scalpel between a guard position for preventing injury by the sharp cutting edge and a retracted position for exposing the sharp cutting edge.